Can You Put That There?

So are we all hyped up about the 2013 Garden Challenge?  Staring out the window at the spot where it will flourish this summer?  Maybe you’re like me and you’ve already started shopping for seeds online.  Planning ahead is likely the best thing you can do to make your garden successful, so keep doing what you’re doing!  It’s going to work!

In case you haven’t thought about this, I wanted to link you to a great little resource for garden layout planning.  It’s a companion plant chart that’s online free from Wasatch Community Gardens and it’s fantastic!  As you scroll through the information, you will find a plethora of other useful gardening information including books, places to purchase seed and supplies and even tentative dates for starting seedlings and transplanting!  It doesn’t get much more informative than this!

Maybe we should back up just a second and talk about what companion planting is and why it’s important.  An article written by Barbara Pleasant for the April/May 2011 issue of Mother Earth News says:  ”Companion planting is the establishment of two or more species in close proximity so that some cultural benefit, such as pest control or increased yield, may be achieved.”  I thought that was a pretty good definition.  It will cut down on need for herbicides and pesticides as well as encourage much healthier plants because those planted close together won’t be competing for the same nutrients from the soil.

I’m curious to know how many of us will change our original plans for what to plant in our gardens after reviewing this information.  I’m off to get a pencil and paper and start drawing my layout!  Hope this chart helps you get your layout done too!

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